Tales from the Dojo
by Zadien
Summary: Hilary wakes to find Tyson watching over their son and Hilary realises that while Tyson and Kai might not be rivals in beyblade anymore, they've found something new to compete over. Short, sweet stories of one of my favourite beyblade couples. Some connect, some don't.
1. Stay

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If you write them for twenty years though, do you get squatters rights?

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><p><span>Stay<span>

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><p>Hilary had always appreciated the dojo. Even as a child walking past it on her way to school, she'd pause to look up at its high walls and enjoy the tranquility that seemed to perpetually surround it like an impenetrable bubble. Of course, once she'd met Tyson, she had never imagined she'd step foot inside the dojo unless it was for a school trip. He'd always been too boisterous, too rowdy and, to her mind, too lazy - the complete antithesis to her.<p>

But things changed, she mused, as she stepped through the gates, her feet crunching over dried leaves as she tasted the ice in the air, her breath misting. She slipped her hands into the pocket of her warm, pink peacoat and wondered if the fog would lift and grace them with some sunshine later. Perhaps. Maybe she could take a book outside and do some note taking in the sunshine as she caught up with her class work.

However now she had another task.

As she walked towards the living quarters, a prickle began to form at the base of her neck. It was quiet. Too quiet. Almost as if no one was around, or worse, the occupant of the building was still asleep.

"Tyson," she growled under her breath.

Of course Tyson was still sleeping. Grandpa sure knew his grandson well.

She stomped across the porch and headed to Tyson's room. Catching the handles, she slid the doors apart and shook her head at the scene before her.

"Oh Tyson," she muttered, watching the lump nestled under a mound of blankets, in deference to the gathering chill in the air outside - though the room itself felt rather toasty. Closing the door to preserve that heat, she toed off her shoes and folded her jacket and placed them side by side, with her handbag, in the corner of the room.

Her footsteps were admirably silent as she crossed the floor and she was about to scare the daylights out of the sleeping male when a hand snuck out from the sheets, caught her arm, and she was suddenly off her feet and on the bed.

For a long moment she blinked at the ceiling, as her brain struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Then she growled.

"Tyson!"

Shifting on her side, she opened her mouth to shout at him only to receive a faceful of blankets. Spitting them out and shoving them down, she scowled at the back of Tyson's head. "What are you doing? You have practice to take."

Tyson's hand lifted in a dismissive gesture and he mumbled something about two hours before he settled down to sleep again.

"Tyson, you need to set up the space and -"

He rolled over and clamped a warm, rough palm over her mouth. Her lips burned.

"Sssh, Hilary. Sleep."

Ignoring the heat rolling beneath her skin, she groaned and flopped onto her back, removing his hand. Ridiculous. She could never get a conversation out of Tyson this early in the morning. Grandpa shouldn't have left her in charge of making sure Tyson was ready for his classes. He'd get them done but he'd be late, and nothing would be ready and this was just typical Tyson. How Grandpa thought she'd get through to him, she'd never understand. Kai… no. Not even Kai could tear Tyson from his bed, unless a beyblade battle was mentioned. If she challenged Tyson to one, he'd probably fall out of bed laughing - which would achieve her goal, she supposed.

"You're not sleeping."

She glanced over at him. "No. I'm awake. I've been awake for a some time now, Tyson. Even walked outside."

"You're due a nap. Sleep."

She could just barely make out his words as he mumbled into his pillow, eyes still closed, hair tied back from his face, bangs falling to the side. His face was crumpled with sleep and he looked ridiculously adorable. Her fingers twitched and she curled them into fists.

She sighed and rolled to face him. "Tyson you need to get up."

"One hour."

"Fine. One hour. I'll go make breakfast or something." She heaved herself up, feeling like she'd won a minor victory. One hour of a lie in was much better than two; it, at least, gave him time to eat breakfast and clear up the training room.

His arm flopped over her waist and startled, her heart thumping, she glanced over her shoulder. "Tyson?"

One brown eye opened to blearily regard her. "Just stay, okay?"

She nodded carefully, then settled back down into the bed. Catching an extra hour of sleep probably wasn't a bad idea, given how early she'd awoken. Rolling onto her side away from Tyson, she closed her eyes and prepared to drift off, smiling softly when Tyson mumbled something and tugged the covers up over both of them.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>This is pretty terrible but I'm so out of practice writing wise so I wanted to just do something and I have always wanted to play with Tyson and Hilary.


	2. Friends

Friends

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><p>There was a fly on her cheek but every time Hilary tried to swat it, her arm refused to budge. She couldn't see it, could only hear it buzzing before it would drop its weight upon her cheek. She groaned and slowly became aware that she was sleeping. If she could force herself awake, the fly would be gone. She just had to wake up.<p>

It landed again and she snapped her eyes open.

For a moment, her brain sluggishly moved between dream and reality as she blinked against the light beaming against the white wall in front of her. White wall? She'd painted her walls shades of blue, bright, intense and yet tranquil.

Something hit her cheek but now she knew it wasn't a fly — it felt like a finger poking her cheek. She tried to lift her arm only to realise it was weighed down by a tangle of blankets.

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakens."

Max? She rolled over and blinked up at the blond boy sitting on… Right, she was in Tyson's room… in Tyson's _bed_ and Max was there. "Oh. This is not what it looks like." She squeezed her eyes shut against the cliched phrase and tossed an arm over her eyes.

Now she remembered. She came over to wake Tyson but he'd wanted to sleep on and so they'd both taken a nap. Tyson didn't set an alarm. Oh god. "Where's Tyson? What time is it?" Her voice was groggy with disuse.

Max chuckled. "Relax Hilary, Tyson's taking his grandfather's kendo class. I just came over to return that DVD I borrowed from him."

"But I was supposed to make breakfast and… " She sat up, throwing off the blankets, and rolled her neck, expecting it to crick because she'd been sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, but her neck felt fine and Tyson's bed had been very comfortable, no wonder he was so reluctant to leave it. And yet, he had without her prodding. "He's really taking the class?"

"Yep," Max told her cheerfully as he rolled off the bed and stood up, stretching. "He told me not to wake you but I know you hate sleeping the day away. How're classes going?"

"Good." Following his lead, Hilary got out of bed and carefully remade the bedding before frowning down at herself. Her skirt was wrinkled and she really needed a mirror to check her hair. A quick pat told her that at least one section was flat when it should be flicked and another was flicked where it should be flat. This was all Tyson's fault.

"So," Max said, as she pulled a comb from her handbag, "you were sleeping in Tyson's bed."

"Max," she warned, putting the comb away. She folded her arms and braced her legs— her no nonsense pose.

She was not going to be led into this conversation. She'd done nothing wrong. She had simply napped in her friend's bed and yes, he happened to be a boy and no, napping beside Max or Kenny in their beds would never happen — definitely not with Rei because Mariah would skin her, and not Kai either because, Kai.

So what was it about Tyson that did this to her? She needed to move past this _thing _with him. Of course, if he stopped being so Tyson all the time, she could move on. Why couldn't he go back to that obnoxious boy who wasn't serious about anything and drove her nuts? Now he was this confident, sometimes bordering on arrogant, young man with this intensity that drove him towards victory and a belief in everyone that drove her nuts (and appealed to her so completely). Except he was still the Tyson she knew from back when, she just knew the different facets of him now.

Max hummed under his breath and sent her a sly smile but she refused to rise to his bait. There were times that Hilary found herself wondering if Max's cheerful demeanour was a mask for a demonic soul. He sure seemed to take pleasure out of her embarrassment.

She stalked past him, intent on making sure the dojo was intact, and then she'd go home to examine her reactions to Tyson Granger. Again.

"Aw Hils, don't worry so much," Max said, draping his arm around her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. "I won't tell the others. What you and Tyson do in his bed shall remain between the three of us."

"We had a nap. It was just sleeping."

"Sure." He nodded. "And if it ever comes up, that's what I'll tell the others."

"Max." She ground her teeth and sucked in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

He chuckled and held the door for her just as Tyson came along the porch, hands linked behind his head as he whistled a jaunty tune. Her heart stuttered in her chest and she rubbed the spot, irritated with herself. He actually looked like a trainer, dressed in his navy kendogi rather than the casual wear he sported when he was teaching the local kids how to blade.

His face brightened at the sight of them.

"Hey guys! You're not gone yet Maxie? I thought you had a shift at the hobby shop."

"Oh yeah." Max checked his watch. "Oh crud, I gotta run. I wanted to sneak in a quick call to Mom and remind her that I have holidays coming up and I want to either book Dad and I a flight to America or get her to come here." He wrinkled his nose. "Probably better to convince her to come here. Dad will take time off from work, but Mom's a workaholic, if she's anywhere near her office, her people will constantly be calling her to verify things for them. If she's out of the country, she can't do that and she'll not answer her phone. Hey, thanks Tyson!"

As he ran off, Hilary tilted her head at Tyson, trying to ignore how adult he looked in the kendogi, with the sleeves rolled up showing toned forearms peppered with dark hairs. "Why did he thank you?"

"Well," Tyson counted out on his fingers, "I reminded him he has to go to work and two, I helped him make a decision on how to spend his holidays. I'm a really good friend in that way."

Yes, still arrogant. "I think Max sorted that out on his own."

Tyson rubbed his thumb over his upper lip and shook his head. "But I still prompted him to think about it. Face it, Hilary, I'm an awesome friend."

Oh, she knew that. The boy befriended everyone and everything he came across. Which was why it bothered her that he had seemed so reluctant to befriend her. It was as if she'd been some kind of contagious disease that he had been terrified of contracting. Except, she reminded herself, she was not going to analyse what Tyson may or may not feel about her. They were friends now and that's what mattered. Friends who now apparently sle — _napped_ together.

"So why didn't you wake me this morning?"

Tyson reached up to massage the back of his neck as he gave a jerky shrug. "Well you were in a deep sleep and you must have been up early to trek the whole way over here, so I thought I'd let you sleep on. Besides, what were you going to do while I practiced?"

"I guess I would have gone home and worked on that assignment for next Friday." Since she'd gone to an archery tournament with her after-school club, she had fallen two days behind in her academic schedule.

A groan spilled from his lips as his head fell back against the wall. "Ugh, Hilary! It's the weekend. You're not supposed to do work during the weekend. It's time for fun."

"I do fun things during the holidays. I travel the world and I watch sports." Basically she followed the Bladebreakers.

"You babysit Daichi and exhaust yourself taking care of me, Kenny and the others. That's not fun Hilary, that's a job. You're our manager so it's not a holiday when you're with us." With an exasperated sigh, he grabbed her wrist and she stumbled forward. "Come on."

She slipped out of his grasp, fingers buzzing with the phantom warmth and callouses of his hand. "Hold on. Tyson, I have to put my shoes on."

"Well go do that and then we're going to go eat."

Eat? He was taking her for food? Was Tyson really this much of a blind idiot? If anyone saw them eating lunch together they'd call it a date!

She blew her hair out of her face and tugged on her shoes because even knowing that, she couldn't help the fluttering in her stomach at the idea of spending some time with Tyson without the others around. It was rare; it was golden.

Still… "Don't you think it'll be weird the two of us going to eat together?"

Tyson rolled his eyes. "We're friends Hilary. It's no different that when we share your bento at school."

"It is different. You steal food from my bento, Max is often there and Kenny is usually there as well." Half the time Daichi showed up too despite being in a different school.

"Well we'll go to Kenny's place and eat. You haven't eaten since this morning. You need food and I don't have anything in the house. So let's go."

When he held out his hand, Hilary carefully took it. There was definitely something else going on with Tyson, but he'd either tell her later or the weirdness would fade. Maybe their friendship was just changing, deepening, or maybe…

No, Hilary, no. Just no.

She wasn't going to get her hopes up. Not yet anyway. Not without some more evidence. She'd email Mariah after she got home, just for a second opinion.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>So I started posting these on my Tumblr, which is where I tend to post drabbles and outtakes from my fanfiction and people seemed to really like them, so I'm posting them here too. And then Umayorokobi did a LiveStream on Sunday and she did a beautiful **fancomic** of the 'Stay' moment from chapter one and it's beautiful and you should all go look, the link is in my profile. Seriously, I don't think I've ever been so honoured. I've never had a fanart of a scene before. So yeah, it was seriously awesome. I hope to write some more for these two this weekend when I have some free time and don't have to do course work.

Anyway I hope you enjoy!


	3. Kenny's Birthday Plans

**A.N****.** Thank you VampiricRosia for your review!

**Summary: **Tyson needs help planning Kenny's birthday, so of course he asks Hilary for help.

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><p><span>Kenny's Birthday Plans<span>

Hilary walked down the corridor on her way to her afterschool club when a door slid open to her right and she was yanked into a small, dark closet. She stifled a scream and uncurled her fist because, though it was dark, she knew exactly who would pull such a stupid stunt.

"Tyson Granger, what are you playing at?"

There was fumbling, then a curse, and suddenly light blinded her. She cringed and recovered enough to glower at the boy who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Heh, sorry about that Hilary."

She glanced around the janitor's closet and shook her head. He was going to start rumours with his rash actions and she would have to put up with the snickers and the sly looks while Tyson remained oblivious to it all. Delightful.

"What are you doing?"

"I needed privacy." She continued to wait for a satisfying answer, which came after he sighed loudly and dropped his backside onto an upturned bucket. "Well, I needed to find somewhere that we could talk where Kenny won't find us."

Leaning back against the shelves, trying to find a comfortable spot, Hilary ran a hand over her hair. "We're hiding from Kenny now?"

"Just for this conversation. It's his birthday soon and I want to do something big for it, well not too big because Kenny gets shy about things but just to show him we appreciate him, you know? He does all this amazing stuff for us during tournaments and most of the time I kind of get caught up in the moment and forget to thank him, so I just want to show him that we do notice."

Smiling softly, Hilary nodded. "I think that's a very nice idea, Tyson. But why do you need me?"

A frown puckered his brow. "Well I'm hardly going to ask Daichi for help. He can do some errands, sure, but if I want this to be successful, I'm going to need your help."

"Okay, well what did you plan to do?"

He pursed his lips and steepled his fingers before them, resting his elbows on his knees. "We need a venue but if we host it at his home, he'll notice something is happening. If I could guarantee he wouldn't show up at the dojo, we could hold it there."

"So you're thinking a party?"

"Just a small one, a private one with some friends from school and the team, of course, I've emailed Kai and Rei, and both say they'll come and Rei says that Kevin and Mariah want to come too. And I said to Max and he's definitely going to back by then."

She nodded. Max was away on an impromptu trip with his parents to celebrate his father's birthday. "That's great. Everyone will be here."

"Yeah, so I need help planning a venue where we can have a small party and Kenny won't feel overwhelmed, you know? And Hitoshi says he wants to come."

"Oh. Okay." Hilary wasn't sure what to make of Hitoshi anymore. He was Tyson's older brother and he'd been quite a coach but his actions during the BEGA tournament made her wary of him. Despite his claims of helping Tyson, he had put them all in a lot of jeopardy and Tyson's win was the only reason the outcome had been less severe. She couldn't imagine Kai being too comfortable in the older man's presence. She certainly didn't want to explain to a manager why she was digging a beyblade out of the wall.

"So when is Kenny's birthday?"

Tyson's smile faltered and turned a little toothy, a clear indication she wasn't going to like his answer.

"Next week."

"Tyson! How are you going to organise a birthday party with such short notice?"

"We just need a cake and everyone's already invited and coming."

"We need a venue too. One that's beyblade friendly." And honestly, she couldn't imagine many places in town being too eager to host a birthday party for the best friend of World Champion, not without it turning into a circus. "We need this to be private. Otherwise you'll be mugged by fans and Kenny needs to be centre of attention here."

Tyson nodded, getting to his feet with a stretch that lifted the edge of his shirt - exposing a sliver of tanned, firm skin; Hilary averted her gaze. "You're right. See this is why I came to you. You think about the details. I just see the big picture."

Ignoring the flush heating her skin, she clasped her hands and began to think. "Well, maybe we could tell Kenny that the Dojo is out of bounds for the next week? Could your grandpa have a competition coming up or bugs?"

"Bugs?"

"Sure. Say you have an infestation of bugs and need to get the place fumigated. It probably could do with a good airing out. Did you even wash that pile of socks from last week?"

Tyson scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "I think so. No, I definitely did. Max and I were playing karate kid... " He trailed off and ducked his head.

Every time she thought that he was changing, maturing, he did something to remind her that he was still Tyson underneath. That was comforting. "Okay, so we'll use the Dojo as a venue and for this week, if we're meeting up for practice or just in general, we find some place else. Like the river, or the park, or even my apartment, if you promise not to launch any of your blades inside."

"Promise."

"Good. What about food? I imagine his parents will want to contribute that." Tyson nodded. She'd compose a list just in case. "What about presents? And music?"

"Oh!" He dug out his phone and passed it to her.

Taking it, she unlocked it, and scanned the message on screen: **Hi Tyson! Great to hear from you. Of course I've got some stuff for such a loyal fan. I'll sign it immediately and express post it to you. Wish Kenny a happy Birthday from me. Lots of hugs and kisses, Ming-Ming. xxxx oooo xxxx oooo**

"Did she really need to put that many x's and o's?"

"Heh, she's kind of a nice kid. I know Kenny's a big fan so I thought I'd see if she had some stuff for him."

Touched, she returned his phone. "That's a really nice idea Tyson, and yes, it's kind of Ming-Ming too. I guess everyone's changed now."

"Yeah." He studied her a long moment, until her skin began to buzz and her heart rate accelerated, then he cleared his throat. "Well, I also got a voucher for that computer shop that Kenny likes so much."

She blinked. That was really organised. "Wow, Tyson, you don't need me at all."

"Of course I do." The words were quick and snapped out, almost as if she'd insulted him when she was trying to give him a compliment.

Scowling, she folded her arms and shifted her back against the shelves digging into her spine. "Hmm, I don't know what I should get him. He always seems to have more than enough beyblade parts and I don't know much about them to get him any. I'm sure Max's got him a voucher for the hobby shop, so there goes that idea."

"I noticed that his tool box is looking a little worn. If you want, I could go with you to the hobby shop and help you pick out a new one for him. He'll not notice until everything spills out because he's too busy spending money on fixing up our blades."

Hilary rolled her eyes. Tyson always inferred that Kenny spent his own money on parts, but the reality was that they all put money into the kitty for parts; Kenny was the one who went to shop and bought them.

"You don't have to take me, I'm sure the person in the shop can help or you could ask Kai at the weekend, it's -"

Silly boy, didn't he know she'd rather spend time with him. "I'd really like it if you helped me pick out a new box for him, Tyson."

"Yeah. I mean sure. We could go now, unless you have archery practice?" He looked so adorably awkward, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his school trousers, sleeves rolled up and hair shoved flat under his backwards cap, biting on his lower lip as if half expecting her to say no.

"I have time now."

His smile was like sunshine, warming her from the inside out, and he motioned for her to lead the way out of the closet. Ducking her head out, she peered up and down the corridor, shivering as she felt him behind her, as he turned out the light. His breath ghosted over her ear as he peeked and then they slipped out into the corridor, lit up by the evening sunlight spearing through the trees.

Bumping shoulders, they walked down the corridor as Tyson eagerly told her the tale of how he fell asleep in European History class, laughing loudly when she groaned his name and punched his arm.

Yeah, there really was no one else she'd rather spend time with.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>Hope you enjoyed and rememberreviews are important. They feed our writer souls.


	4. Parenting

**Summary**: Hilary wakes to find Tyson watching over their son and Hilary realises that while Tyson and Kai might not be rivals in beyblade anymore, they've found something new to compete over.

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><p><span>Parenting<span>

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><p>Hilary woke with a start and, for a moment, lay in the tranquil dark wondering why she was awake. The clock on the bedside cabinet beamed red on the ceiling, 03:09. Her brow puckered. Far too early to be awake. She groaned and rolled over, then froze. Where was Tyson?<p>

She sat up and looked around the room, lit up by the milky light of the moon that chased the shadows to the walls, keeping them pressed there, dark and solid. Nothing moved, the room remained the same as when she fell asleep. Tyson's clothes were in a pile in the corner where he'd thrown them after changing for bed — he'd been snoring softly when she'd arrived.

Throwing off her covers, she grabbed for her robe and slipped it on, her bare feet making hardly a sound on the cool wooden floor. The dojo creaked and groaned as it settled, and the air was comfortably mild — Hilary liked to think it was just the protective aura of the building, nurtured and cared for by Grandpa Granger and now by Tyson and maybe someday...

She paused by the ajar door and an affectionate smile tugged at her lips even as she shook her head and eased the door open enough to step inside. Of course he'd be here.

"Tyson," she whispered, moving closer to him, tucking her slightly longer than shoulder length brown hair behind her ear.

He stood silently over the small cot, brown eyes soft and adoring though his fingers gripping the bars tightly.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, sliding her arms around him and resting her cheek against the heat and strength of his back. Her best friend, her partner, her husband, her everything. Not for the first time she realised that she was a blessed woman. Though if she'd told her thirteen year old self that one day she'd marry Tyson Granger, she'd have been understandably dubious, if not a little intrigued. Even at thirteen years old, there was a strange undeniable attraction to Tyson — there must have been something to explain why he got so deeply under her skin — and now that she was a grown married woman, she was allowed to romanticise it a little.

"I just check on him from time to time. Just so if he wakes up, he'll not be alone."

Kissing his back, just between his shoulder blades, she peered around him into the cot where their son rested on his back, tiny - oh so adorable - fist pressed to his mouth. "I think you're more concerned about him being in a room on his own, than he is."

"He's growing so fast. He's already got five teeth. That's more than Rin and Gou put together."

Smiling at the fond exasperation, she reached down to stroke a finger over the velvet softness of her son's hot cheek. He smacked his lips and a little frown appeared before he lost himself in dreams again. Little Makoto Granger was six months old going on four, racing through the mile stones most babies took their time with. If he rushing out of the starting gate already, she knew the next eighteen years were going to be interesting at least.

"He takes after you," she mused.

"Or you," Tyson retorted softly with a laugh, his fingers lacing with hers over the firm plain of his abdomen, "the consummate overachiever. I swear today he was trying to take his first step."

She chuckled and nuzzled his shoulder. "We'll have to get him a beyblade soon."

"He'll be a world champ before Kai's son even learns to walk." He grinned, pressing a kiss to her hair. "We made a good looking baby, Hilary."

That they did: a tiny little prodigy of a child with a beatific smile that charmed everyone he met. Each and every day he did something new that stunned her and melted her heart and it killed her that sometimes work required her to leave him for a few hours a day. It was always during those hours that he would do something different as if waiting for his mother to be out of the room to become adventurous. At least Tyson always made an effort to record Makoto's little feats of interest so that she could experience them second hand. And, of course, she did the same whenever Tyson had to teach a class at the dojo or whenever he was taking a beyblade class. They had a partnership, one that worked better than she'd ever expected.

"You know," Tyson began, voice dropping low, finger stroking over the centre of her palm creating little tingles of pleasure, "now that we're both awake maybe we should find something to pass the time until Makoto wakes for his next feed."

Biting her lip, Hilary glanced up at Tyson, brown eyes laughing into his. "It just so happens that I have something to show you."

"Oh?" A navy brow lifted.

With a smirk, Hilary tugged his hand leading him towards the hall, careful to allow the hall light into the room so that Makoto wouldn't be left entirely in the dark. Tyson's body bumped into hers and she barely suppressed a giggle as she spun in to him, arms looping around his neck. His lips brushed her throat, teeth grazing, and she sighed, arching into him. His hands slid under her robe, hot and firm, as her fingers traced circles over the nape of his neck.

"Mmm, that's a nice idea, Tyson, but I wanted to show you something else."

His hum of disagreement vibrated over her skin and she curled her fingers into his hair, lifting his face so she could meet his eyes. "You'll want to see this."

He exhaled loudly and his busy hands dropped from under her robe. "Okay, what is it?"

Linking her fingers with his, she drew him to the kitchen, turning on the lamp so it sent a wash of golden light through the room, and over to the table, ignoring the way his free hand tried to settle on her hips. Finding the bag where she left it, she presented it with a flourish to her husband, enjoying the way his expression lit up — she could almost guess where his mind had gone.

"Uh, Hilary, what is this?" Tyson asked, pulling out a small red and blue cap and an equally small yellow t-shirt and red jacket.

Entertained by the way he held the clothes between his fingers, she leaned back against the table and folded her arms. "Don't you recognise them?"

"Did you shrink them?"

Did she... "No, you idiot." Taking them from him, she held them up so he could see them properly.

Tyson rubbed his eyes. "Hilary, I know you've lost weight but they're not going to fit you. Your head won't even fit in the cap."

"Tyson!" Her tone was sharp before she forced herself to calm down. He was sleep deprived. He was a doting father who got out of bed to check on his baby son, so of course his brain wasn't working properly. "It's a baby costume."

"Of what?"

"Of you." Exasperated, she put the clothes aside and rose up to place her hands on his cheeks, maybe in some way she could pass a few brain cells to her loving husband via osmosis. "When you were at the height of your success, Grandpa Granger and Mr Tate came up with this idea of doing a set of Bladebreaker costumes for cosplays and Halloween. Of course Halloween wasn't very popular at the time, and cosplaying a sports star seemed weird, so the idea never really took off but apparently Mr Tate kept a few of them and Max came across this one in Makoto's size this afternoon. That's why I was late getting home, I had to call around to his to collect it. I was thinking Makoto could wear it for the Halloween party we're hosting for your blading group."

Tyson's lips curved and he scratched his nose. "Heh, he'd be even more like a world champion then." Aw she knew he'd like it. "We have to take photos to show Kai."

She dropped her hands and stepped back. "Really Tyson?!"

"He started it. He says his son is better than ours."

"That's clearly not true. Our son is amazing."

"And that Gou will destroy Makoto at Beyblade," he said, muffling a yawn.

She scowled. "Well, that's assuming that Gou actually wants to blade when he's older, which is a very long time from now." She didn't even bother mentioning Makoto, since she knew how deep in denial Tyson was about whether his son would be interested in blading or not.

"If Gou walks before Makoto, Kai's going to gloat."

She pressed her fingers to his lips. "You two are not going to put pressure on your sons. You keep your rivalry to yourselves, okay?"

Tyson nodded and put his arms around her, pressing his thumbs into the dimples at the base of her back so that she squirmed into him. He kissed her lips lightly. "You're a wise woman, Mrs Granger."

"Well, someone has to be."

"And it doesn't matter what happens with Makoto and Gou or if Kai beats me in the beydish because I'll always still be the luckiest man to have you and Makoto and five amazing life long friends."

She smiled up at him and pressed her lips softly to his before drawing back. "And now I know you're sleep deprived because you're getting sappy."

He dropped his head to nuzzle her neck and she sank her fingers into his hair, tugging on the strands gently. "You should go to bed, Tyson; I'll be up to feed Makoto when he wakes." Which wouldn't be long now, judging from the time shown on the small decorative clock on the counter.

"But sex," Tyson whined, nipping at the vulnerable skin at her neck in a way that had her knees curling and her skin shivering.

She flushed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Tyson, you're tired."

He drew back, eyes narrowed and a pout on his lips. "Is that a challenge?"

She slid her fingers along the waistband of his pants and tilted her head. "Is it a challenge you think you can meet?"

His hand clamped over his mouth as he yawned so hard his jaw cracked and belligerent eyes met hers. "You win. This sucks. Kai better be jealous of the costume because it just cost me sex."

As Tyson stomped off — and she knew he'd be face down on the bed, dead to the world in a little under five minutes — Hilary stepped back to cool off and put the costume away. And she patted herself on the back for being smart enough not to mention that she'd posted Kai and Rei costumes of themselves for Gou and Rin to wear (she particularly wanted to see what baby Rin would look like dressed as Rei). Tyson could find out about that later, when he wasn't quite so annoyed.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>You guys were absolutely amazing with the reviews! I was gobsmacked and touched and thank you all so much. They just make all the hours sitting in front of the computer and getting a sore back worthwhile! My little writers soul was well fed!


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